The Economist: Labor force to expand as job growth slows
The 1990s have been a time of extraordinary economic prosperity for the United States. As our country begins to round the millennium corner, questions are being asked about what the future holds for Americans - young and old alike.

Business Briefs
Hastings Entertainment Inc. has begun offering custom compact disc compilations and digital download services through its Web site at gohastings.com.

Stephanie Ann Hodges
John and Carolyn Hodges of 4219 S. Hughes St. announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie Ann, to Trey Frantz.

Tammy Lynette Currie
The engagement of Tammy Lynette Currie and Hadley Wayne Harris has been announced by the parents of the bride-elect, Mr. and Mrs. Roger Currie of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Wanda Houston of Amarillo.

Brandy Michelle Knight
The engagement of Brandy Michelle Knight and Marco Daniel Serna has been announced by the parents of the bride-elect, Col. and Mrs. Kenneth R. Knight of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

Misty Diane Barton
The engagement of Misty Diane Barton and Wesley John McSpadden has been announced by the parents of the bride-elect, Kim and Susie Barton of Miami.

Natalie Henderson
The engagement of Natalie Henderson and Conn Flowers has been announced by the parents of the bride-elect, James and Janet Henderson of Yukon, Okla.

Debra Denae Mason
The engagement of Debra Denae Mason and Joel Wayne Sullins has been announced by the parents of the bride-elect, Jim and Beta Wright of Guymon, Okla., and Scott and Susan Mason of Pratt, Kan.

Amber Hefner
Don and Kathryn Hefner of Canyon announce the engagement of their daughter, Amber, to Jason O'Gorman.

Stephanie Thatcher
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thatcher of Amarillo announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie, to Kurt Hagen.

Darla Patreece Brandt
Debbie and Lynn Brown, and Pat and Denise Brandt, all of Amarillo, announce the engagement of their daughter, Darla Patreece Brandt, to Toby Brian Meason.

Kandal Derrick
Ed and Trudy Derrick of Canyon announce the engagement of their daughter, Kandal, to Justin Wethington.

Katrina M. Kemp
Michael and Kathy Kemp of Amarillo announce the engagement of their daughter, Katrina, to Michael J. Collins.

Billboard Charts
Weekly charts for the nation's best-selling recorded music as they appear in this week's issue of Billboard magazine. Reprinted with permission. (Platinum signifies more than 1 million copies sold; Gold signifies more than 500,000 copies sold.):

Church makes mark as singer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It's one thing to be a hairdresser and give up that career in pursuit of country music stardom. It's quite another to move to Nashville seeking country music fame after success as an international model and actress.

Coming up roses
NEW YORK - Singer-actress Kaye Ballard remembers the time she worked with comedian Lenny Bruce at the Crescendo in Hollywood.

The inside scoop on...
Ally Walker, star of NBC's "Profiler" for the last three seasons, will leave the series after the first two episodes "to pursue other opportunities," NBC announced last week.

Fireworks light up lake skyline
LAKE MEREDITH - The boats rocked on the waves of Lake Meredith, with spectators waiting to see the Saturday night show that would light up the sky.

Medical Rounds
The Alzheimer's Association of the Texas Panhandle will present its summer social for families and care-givers at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Canyons Retirement Center chapel, 2200 W. Seventh Ave.

Heat can lead to health problems
Editor's Note: Faculty and administrators of Texas Tech University facilities in Amarillo rotate subject matter for their weekly columns. Today'

Texas Tech Briefs
Dr. Neal Latman, associate professor at the Texas Tech School of Allied Health at Amarillo, presented a research paper at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation in Boston.

Lubbock man's car hits house in Colorado
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A Texas man was killed when his car veered out of control and hit a house that was being trucked down Union Boulevard in Colorado Springs.

4 die in area over holiday
Highway deaths over the July Fourth holiday were higher than Texas Department of Public Safety officials had anticipated, but were significantly lower than last year.

Search on for man resembling Resendez-Ramirez
MOUNTAINAIR, N.M. (AP) - Two people, including a National Park Service ranger, reported seeing a man resembling the so-called Railroad Killer - the FBI's "Public Enemy No. 1" - near a New Mexico rail line Monday.

Monday Briefing
The Texas A&M University System, which includes West Texas A&M, has a definite Amarillo flavor.

Graf denied eighth crown in her last Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Lindsay Davenport ran her trembling fingers along her freshly engraved name on the Wimbledon trophy where Steffi Graf's name had been inscribed seven times and never will be again.

U.S. gets title shot
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - They call her "The Rock." And "The Wall." On Sunday, Briana Scurry earned a new nickname: "The Savior."

Mariners rookie Halama silences Rangers, 6-0
ARLINGTON (AP) - Seattle rookie John Halama spent the first two months of the season in the bullpen because the Mariners had too many left-handed starters. Now he may never go back.

Wimbledon at a glance
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - A brief look at what happened Sunday on the 13th day of the Wimbledon tennis championships:

Mariners' Halama too much for Texas hitters
ARLINGTON (AP) - Seattle rookie John Halama spent the first two months of the season in the bullpen because the Mariners had too many left-handed starters. Now he may never go back.

Jarrett in driver's seat
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - With about five laps to go, Kelley Jarrett and the kids were getting antsy. They wanted to hurry down to victory lane.

Mavs mum about plans for draftee
DALLAS (AP) - After testing his wares against NBA talent for the first time Monday, 18-year-old Leon Smith said he fully expects to be wearing a Dallas Mavericks uniform in November.

Dillas make changes on mound staff
Prior to Monday's game, the Amarillo Dillas announced a pair of roster changes by signing left-handed pitcher Harold Frazier, a Morris, Okla., native who has been with the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League since 1998.

35 people died in holiday accidents
HARLINGEN (AP) - Five people killed in the Rio Grande Valley when a car hit a van carrying a Mexico-bound Conroe family were among 35 victims of fatal wrecks on Texas roads over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Computer program to teach algebra
FORT WORTH (AP) - Fort Worth school district officials are trying to solve the problem of what to do when the demand for high school math teachers exceeds the supply.

Rare E. coli strain behind sickness at camp
FORT WORTH (AP) - Health officials have confirmed that a rare strain of the E. coli bacteria was the mysterious bug that sickened at least 58 students and instructors during a drill team camp last month at the University of North Texas.

Ex-POW to collect Pentagon debt
HOUSTON (AP) - When Dung Van Nguyen disappeared into the jungles of North Vietnam on a U.S. government spy mission in 1964, the Pentagon wrote him off as dead.

Man's rage ends in suicide, ex-wife's murder
SOUTHLAKE (AP) - A doctor infected with rage over an apparent custody dispute crossed half the country and shot his ex-wife to death before putting the gun under his chin and killing himself Monday.

Sources: TEA commissioner considering job in Lubbock
AUSTIN - Texas Education Commissioner Mike Moses, a former Lubbock school superintendent, is considering giving up his state post and has been looking at several job options - including one that could lead him back to Lubbock.

Smith's church taught racism
EAST PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - It styles itself as a religion, but the World Church of the Creator - to which alleged racist killer Benjamin Nathaniel Smith once belonged - has no altar and no place of worship.

Bombing convict to request new trial
DENVER (AP) - Oklahoma City bombing convict Terry Nichols is due back in Denver this week to ask for a new trial on grounds that the FBI improperly withheld information that would have helped his defense.

First questions; then issues
WASHINGTON (AP) - About to kick off a get-acquainted road show in anticipation of a New York Senate candidacy, Hillary Rodham Clinton faces questions such as whether she can represent a state she's never lived in and whether she should be using government aircraft to campaign.

Coalition seeks independent TV ratings
A coalition of groups called People for Better TV is urging the Federal Communications Commission to hold public hearings to establish an independent system to rate the violence, sex and language in TV programs.

Officials detained for fire
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Police detained six local government officials Sunday on charges of involuntary homicide in a dormitory fire that killed 19 children and four adults.

Zimbabwe president berates West
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Zimbabwe's chief freedom-fighter, Joshua Nkomo, was buried in a heroes' cemetery Monday, an occasion that prompted the nation's president to launch a fiery oratory against whites and Westerners.

Russia accuses U.S. of `provocation'
MOSCOW (AP) - In the latest sign of frayed relations between Russia and the West, Russian troops were forced to delay their departure for Kosovo on Sunday after NATO blocked air corridors on their route. Infuriated Russian defense officials said the reasoning behind the move amounted to a U.S. "provocation."

Teen pleads not guilty in grisly murder
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - A Maryland teen entered a surprise plea of innocent Monday to charges of murdering a classmate but admitted he helped dismember the body and burn it, setting the stage for a trans-Atlantic trial that could strain U.S.-Israeli ties.

Big surplus projections could wither - or grow
WASHINGTON (AP) - There are plenty of reasons to think the huge budget surpluses President Clinton and Congress forecast last week are wishful thinking and will fall victim to recession or politicians' penchant for spending.

Bush defends stateside Vietnam-era service
MERRIMACK, N.H. - Amid questions over his Vietnam-era military service, Gov. George W. Bush defended his record Sunday, declaring that "I served my country" as a National Guard pilot in Texas.

Shooting suspect commits suicide in car chase
SALEM, Ill. (AP) - The man suspected in a two-state shooting spree of minority victims shot and killed himself late Sunday after police pursued him in rural southern Illinois, an FBI spokesman said.

Mickey Mouse parade draws thousands
BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) - The streets of Bartlesville radiated with the magic of Disney Saturday as Mickey's Hometown Parade marched through the city to the delight of thousands of smiling and waving children.

About $48 million worth of cocaine seized
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A sheriff's deputy uncovered more than 1,300 pounds of cocaine - worth about $48 million - during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 70 over the holiday weekend.

U.S. officials: Pakistan will withdraw its forces
WASHINGTON (AP) - Pakistan's prime minister met with President Clinton for more than three hours Sunday and agreed "that concrete steps will be taken" to restore the "Line of Control" separating Pakistani and Indian forces near Kashmir.

German parliament heading to Berlin
BERLIN - After a weekend of packing up files and furniture, the first freight train chartered to help move the German parliament from Bonn to Berlin pulls out of the railroad station today for the 375-mile eastward trek.